{"id":66707,"date":"2017-06-07T23:46:04","date_gmt":"2017-06-08T05:46:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=66707"},"modified":"2018-11-24T10:43:33","modified_gmt":"2018-11-24T17:43:33","slug":"perahera-elephants-and-yahapalana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2017\/06\/07\/perahera-elephants-and-yahapalana\/","title":{"rendered":"PERAHERA ELEPHANTS AND YAHAPALANA"},"content":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

12.9.18 , rev \u00a0\u00a05.11.18, 23.11.18<\/strong><\/p>\n

The elephants in the Esala Perahera got star billing in an entertaining piece published by two animal rights NGOs in August 2016.\u00a0 The essay is full of howlers and is probably the silliest piece ever written on the subject.<\/p>\n

Are you planning to go and see the Kandy Esala perahera, the NGOs wrote, if so, think of the poor elephants in it. They usually reside in the jungles and only come to Kandy once a year, to take part in the Esala perahera. They have to walk miles to get to Kandy on searing tar roads in the blazing heat, with crazed motorists coming at them all the time. Coming straight from the jungle, it was very unpleasant to be dressed up in robes and battery powered lights, for the perahera, especially with the ears covered.<\/p>\n

Taking part in the perahera year after year is an absolute night mare. The noise is awful with drums, whips, trumpets, loud speakers and ice cream vendors.\u00a0 The mahouts either climb on and sit on the neck and spine (sic) poking and prodding or walk by the side jabbing away with their ankus. Sometimes three people get on an elephant\u2019s back for a ride. \u2018Even a horse only carries one.\u2019 It is difficult for an elephant to like the crowds on the pavements because\u00a0 they are the same ones who cultivate chenas in the jungles, chasing\u00a0 elephants away from their homeland.<\/p>\n

The tradition of including elephants in processions needs to be rethought, continued \u00a0the NGOs. Elephants must be wild and free (sic) not sent on parades to please watching crowds. Sri Lankans living in other countries have begun to celebrate such traditions using artificially constructed, beautifully decorated elephants on wheels. That is much better than real elephants. The NGO ended their song with a plea. When you go to the Perahera, please,\u00a0 If you observe any cruel treatment of the elephants before, during, or after the Kandy Esala Perahera,\u00a0 take photos and report such instances to\u00a0 the Department of Wildlife Conservation and also tell us,\u00a0 Concerned Citizens of Sri Lanka\u201d\u00a0 and the Sentinels Against Wildlife Crime\u201d (Island 8.8.16)<\/p>\n

Instead of sending\u00a0 photos of cruelly treated elephants in the Esala perahera, as the NGOs hoped, readers offered to send photos of the slaughter of the pigs, cows and chickens. Why\u00a0 are these animal rights people\u00a0 not concerned about the daily slaughter of lambs, cattle, pigs, goats, chickens for food, they asked. This was said by every person who responded to this essay . They particularly noted that pig rearing for pork in Sri Lanka was not mentioned by these two NGOs. They \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0also drew attention to horse racing, greyhound racing, bull fighting, bear baiting, cockfighting,\u00a0\u00a0 fox hunting, deer hunting, and camel rides. They pointed out that in horse racing,\u00a0 horses are made to run with a human rider three quarter its weight. The horses are whipped to make them run faster and\u00a0 put down when they are\u00a0 of no further use.<\/p>\n

Rohana Wasala, Cecil Dharmasena and Palitha Kohona \u00a0responded to this NGO statement. \u00a0The elephants used in the perahera are not wild animals, they pointed out. They are tame elephants. Not every domesticated elephant can be used in a perahera either. They are trained for the task. The elephants are familiar with the perahera drill and they only need a few verbal commands. The mahout is rarely called on to use the ankus. The elephants are conditioned to flashing lights, deafening sounds, crowds and copra torches.\u00a0 An elephant can march with two, three or more on his back very easily. Elephants walk over 20 to 30 km per day in the wild.\u00a0 In a\u00a0 perahera elephants only walk about 2 kilometers.<\/p>\n

Elephants used in the perahera are looked after very well by their owners and keepers, they said. Perahera elephants are fed with fruits and sweets, offered by spectators, \u00a0even while they are marching. They are washed daily. The inconveniences caused to these animals before, during, and after perahera are minimized as far as possible. They are rewarded with special treats at the end the event. The temple elephant enjoyed an elevated status in Sri Lanka. Without the elephants the perahera will not be the same,\u00a0\u00a0 and\u00a0 a decorated\u00a0 elephant looking truck carrying the relic is absurd, they\u00a0\u00a0 said.<\/p>\n

The difference between the \u2018wild\u2019 elephant and the\u00a0 tame one, \u00a0were outlined by these writers, \u00a0\u00a0so that these elephant loving NGOS could get it\u00a0 right in their next essay. They pointed out that \u2018wild\u2019 elephants are \u2018wana ali\u2019 not \u2018wal ali\u2019. One \u2018wild\u2019 elephant , after being rescued from a water hole, turned toward the people who saved her, curled her trunk in salute, before leaving. Wild elephants find it difficult to find food in the jungle. The dry and hard jungle surfaces are worse than the tarred roads. \u2018Idealists who think jungle life is romantic should try it for themselves\u2019, \u00a0said Kohona. The three hour slow walk in the cool climate of\u00a0 Kandy at\u00a0 night is a cakewalk in comparison. And there are delicious eats at the end of it.<\/p>\n

Domestic\u00a0 elephants are prized possessions of their owners and are cared for meticulously, continued Kohona. Today domesticated elephants are kept more for prestige than for any useful work. The domestic elephants rarely do heavy work. Once tamed an elephant is as affectionate as a large dog.\u00a0\u00a0 Those who are familiar with elephants know how affectionate they can be.\u00a0 They are well looked after. An elephant in captivity gets more opportunity to walk than a dog in a backyard.\u00a0 They do not remain tied to trees all the time. They walk reasonable distance each day for the bath, and to collect half a ton of edible leaves for its food. They enjoy the bath and being scrubbed by the mahout.<\/p>\n

We who grew up among these animals know that animal abuse is kept to a minimum, said Rohana Wasala.\u00a0 The elephant goad(ankus) \u00a0\u00a0is used by the mahout to apply strong, clear pressure to\u00a0 particular control points to make the elephant respond\u00a0 to commands, stop, turn left, turn right, kneel, stand still,\u00a0 and so on. An ankus jab causes little or no actual pain. Elephants are huge pachyderms. In some places their skin is about 4 centimeters thick. They hardly feel a mild ankus jab from a tiny human. Causing pain can be lethal for the mahout. Elephant minders know this and rarely treat their charges unkindly.\u00a0 Maintaining full control over elephants is a key part of the mahout\u2019s job. Full control ensures the safety of the mahout, the safety of other humans nearby, and even the safety of the elephant itself.<\/p>\n

S.A.Abeyratne\u00a0 who also thought like the NGOs, wrote from USA\u00a0 in June 2016,\u00a0\u00a0 saying, as a veterinarian I am aware of the importance of elephant feet care. All their huge weight rests on this. In USA the feet of\u00a0 an elephant are cleaned and washed twice daily. All four feet should be provided\u00a0 with pad trim and nails filed once in two weeks. Also they need to wag their ears, to get rid of sweat. When the ears are covered with sheath,\u00a0 as in the perahera,\u00a0 they cannot do this.\u00a0 At festivals they are not given proper care or food, in the wild they eat small amounts of grass all day long. When domesticated they get only one meal a day. That too is a small amount of leaves.<\/p>\n

Elephants must be registered and\u00a0 annually examined, he advised. There must be rules on care of elephants, including cleaning and care of elephant feet, worming, vaccinations. The mahouts must be trained, they\u00a0 must pass an exam, be registered as mahouts,\u00a0 and\u00a0 tested for liquor at perahera.\u00a0 Veterinarians must be present at perahera and they must be trained in elephant control.<\/p>\n

Another anti-perahera\u00a0 \u00a0NGO\u00a0 said\u00a0 in August 2016 that the Diyawadana\u00a0 Nilame, had\u00a0 forcibly removed two\u00a0 elephant calves from the Pinnawela elephant orphanage. They were still on their mother’s milk, and were removed \u00a0despite protest from the officials and veterinarians at\u00a0 Pinnawela. This was a very wrong move, \u00a0said the NGO, the babies were too young to be separated from the mother. Mother was also grieving and put through an enormous amount of stress.<\/p>\n

\u2018As reasonable Sri Lankans\u2019 we did what we could, said the NGO. We e-mailed the authorities, and we called people all over the island in hopes of putting an end to this cruelty and release the two calves. There is even a Supreme Court case filed by an organization in Sri Lanka called ‘Friends of Animals. \u2018If you are visiting Sri Lanka,\u2019 \u00a0the NGO advised, \u2018there is a lot more to do than the Kandy Perahera. It would grossly irresponsible of us to patronize that event\u2019.<\/p>\n

Sagarika Rajakarunanayake, President of \u2018Sathva mithra\u2019 wants mahouts to be tested for liquor. Most mahouts are drunk during perahera seasons, she said. Festival organizers gave them liquor since intoxicated mahouts \u2018gave the best performances.\u2019 This is unlikely. Peraheras, such as those in Kandy and Ratnapura are ritual events. It is unlikely that liquor will be consumed at the start. One Diyawadana Nilame in the 1950s \u00a0\u00a0had \u00a0got drunk even \u00a0before the perahera started, but this is probably an exception.<\/p>\n

Another \u00a0question asked was\u00a0 whether\u00a0 a \u00a0perahera was a requirement of Buddhism. Abeyratne \u00a0said that he learnt that Buddhist monks are requesting to allow domestication of more elephants in order to make Buddhist processions more attractive. Did the Buddha ask for this, he inquired. It is only a custom which started in the 14th century. \u00a0Also \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0do the monks know how to manage elephants. Don’t confuse Buddhism with the Perahera said a blogger. The Buddha never asked for perahera.\u00a0 He never spoke of a Kandy Perahera, or [said to treat elephants cruelly] in his name.<\/p>\n

The obvious reply to these rather rhetorical questions is that Buddhists\u00a0\u00a0 know the difference between the Dhamma and cultural practices like perahera. They do not confuse the two. Further, elephants are\u00a0 looked after by the mahouts, not monks. Mahouts learnt their trade very young, as apprentices. Mahouts develop very strong bonds with their elephants, said Kohona and\u00a0 elephants remain very attached to their mahouts. An\u00a0 elephant from Ratnapura who saw his old mahout at the Esala perahera, remained without moving until the mahout came and told him to move on.<\/p>\n

The \u00a0training and care of \u00a0elephants is a specialized art. Even today, there is a lot of traditional lore regarding\u00a0\u00a0 veterinary treatment of elephants among descendant of families who have been looking after and working with elephants for many generations observed Rohana Wasala. \u00a0Elephant training and elephant management were\u00a0\u00a0 respected professions in traditional times. Manuscripts such as Gajashastra and Nilashastra contain information on training elephants.<\/p>\n

The campaign against perahera elephants was not confined to mere utterances. There was action too. There were several incidents of elephants running amok at peraheras in 2016.\u00a0 My recall of the last sixty years or so, \u00a0is that elephants rarely ran amok at perahera. Therefore this was most unusual. Rajakarunanayake said\u00a0 that the elephant \u00a0at\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Saman Devale perahera\u00a0 ran amok because the drunken\u00a0 mahout had hit the elephant with the goad. What we saw the elephant happily doing on TV, to another elephant does not support this. Perhaps something had been given to the elephant instead.<\/p>\n

In July 2018 elephants had run amok at the Kahawatte Perahera, Ratnapura, with32 injured one seriously. Ven Magalkande Sudantha said these elephants are not perahera trained elephants in temples or privately owned elephants. They are from Pinnawela and the government says they are Perahera trained. They are sent with untrained mahouts. This is a plot to destroy the Perahera tradition.<\/p>\n

Buddhist temples have traditionally looked after baby elephants gifted to them. \u00a0\u00a0John Amaratunga, Minister for Christian affairs ,gifted a baby elephant to Purana vihara of Hendala in 2003 to mark his 25 years in Politics. But from 2009, all elephants and their calves had to be registered with the\u00a0 Department of Wildlife Conservation under\u00a0 the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance. Further, Section 22 (a) said In the event of a pregnancy of a registered she elephant, the owner shall inform the Director-General DWC of such pregnancy together with details of its father.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0Section 23 (a) (9)\u00a0 \u00a0said It is the duty of the elephant owner to inform the Director-General DWC or any authorized officer of the fact of any birth, miscarriage or still birth of elephants within seven days from the date of occurrence.\u201d Some had failed to follow these regulations.<\/p>\n

Among those charged with having un-registered \u00a0baby \u00a0elephants were\u00a0 Mahinda,\u00a0 Gotabhaya, Namal and Gaandhanee Rajapakse , Magistrate Thilina Gamage, Pradeep Mivanapalana who was the owner of the Sri Dalada Maligawa Tusker , Wasana Bakers of Horana and the\u00a0\u00a0 Basnayake Nilame of Kataragama\u00a0 devale,\u00a0\u00a0 The monks charged with holding baby\u00a0 elephants without permits included Kolonnawe Siri Sumangala Thera of Dewram Vehera, Pannipitiya, Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera of\u00a0Alan Methiniyaramaya, Polhengoda, Dharanagama Kusaladhamma Thera of Sri Sambodhi Vihara ,Colombo 7 and Ven. Bellanwila Wimalaratana of Bellanwila Raja Maha Vihara.<\/p>\n

The Wildlife Department officials had taken into custody a two and half year-old elephant calf found inside the Alan Mathiniyaramaya Temple in Polhengoda in January\u00a0 2016. Ven. Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera it is alleged had kept this calf in his temple knowing, that it had been stolen.. He was charged\u00a0\u00a0 under Fauna and Flora Protection (Amendment) Act, No.22 of 2009 and Public Property Act. . \u00a0Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera had said the elephant calf \u00a0had\u00a0 been left in the\u00a0\u00a0 temple by an unknown person.\u00a0 Uduwe Dhammaloka was arrested and remanded in March\u00a0 and released on bail in June 2016.\u00a0 19 persons have been named as witnesses in the case and three documents will be presented as production items in the case, sources said.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0\u00a0 baby elephant sold to Ven. Dharanagama Kusaladhamma\u00a0 has not been properly registered. The previous owner had not submitted a sworn affidavit or\u00a0 Grama Niladhari\u2019s letter. The elephant\u2019s height does not tally with its age and the owner had not paid the registration fee either. The initial ownership and the subsequent ownership were also incorrectly mentioned in the registration file.<\/p>\n

The adult elephants did not excape the law either. The provisions of the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance (FFPO) \u00a0were\u00a0 used to keep\u00a0 adult elephants\u00a0\u00a0 out of the perahera by locking them up. From 2009, all elephants had to be registered under the\u00a0 Department of Wildlife Conservation. Those who had elephants legally in their possession got their elephants registered \u00a0but most didn\u2019t, as they did not have the information needed. Also, there seems to have been some barrier to registration in the\u00a0 Act itself.<\/p>\n

Using\u00a0 the FFPO\u00a0 the Wildlife department started arresting elephants from temples in 2016. They also started to arrest registered\u00a0 temple elephants\u00a0 used for other purposes such as tourism. Temples must ensure that elephants are only being used for religious purposes, the department said. thanks to this in 2016\u00a0 there were less elephants available for the processions.<\/p>\n

Sambodhi Vihara, Colombo said\u00a0 it could not hold their perahera, in May 2016,\u00a0 because elephants trained for the\u00a0 perahera were in the custody of the Wildlife Department. They had been seized from temples, because they did not have the necessary permits. These elephants\u00a0 have ownership permits and registration but the Wildlife Department had not issued permits for 2016.<\/p>\n

NGOs and the recently appointed Director of Wild life Department\u00a0 were\u00a0 wielding \u2018a heavy hand of authority\u00a0 on the elephants\u2019\u00a0 the Vihara complained.\u00a0 Elephants in this country have been well looked after and cared for by the Buddhist monks for\u00a0 many centuries before the NGOs came here with their foreign funds, said Sambodhi.\u00a0 The NGOs are not interested in protecting the fowls, pigs and cows that are killed each day.<\/p>\n

The Colombo Chief Magistrate\u00a0 had issued an order to Wildlife Department\u00a0 in 2016,directing the that 15 elephants taken into its custody following CID investigations be temporarily released to take part in the upcoming Kandy Esala Perahera and several other peraheras. Each elephant was to be\u00a0 released on a bond of Rs. 30 million consequent to requests by several elephant owners. However,\u00a0 Senior State Counsel ,appearing on behalf of the Attorney General and several civil society organizations raised objections to the\u00a0 release of\u00a0 the elephants on bond. And the elephants have not been released, complained Sambodhi vihara.<\/p>\n

The Diyawadana Nilame said in July 2016 that around 20 of the elephants used in the Esala Perahera in 2015 were now in court custody due to permit issues. Basnayake Nilame of Kataragama devale said in 2017 that around 45 perahera elephants were now in custody in elephant orphanages.\u00a0 38 tamed elephants are at Pinnawela and Uda Walawe pending investigations by state authorities said a third informant in 2017. The figures differ but the complaint is the same. There aren\u2019t enough elephants for the perahera.<\/p>\n

Diyawadana Nilame said\u00a0 there were 105\u00a0 elephants in the Esala perahera in 2015, but there will only be 71\u00a0 for\u00a0 2016 perahera. Of the 132 domesticated elephants in the island, 52 cannot take part in the procession due to various reasons, such as, illness, musth, aggressiveness or other problems. In 2017, he said\u00a0 that only about 65 tamed elephants and tuskers were available. They were with their owners. \u00a0But that was not sufficient to meet the requirements of the Esala Perahera in 2017. If this continues, the Kandy Perahera will have to be held without \u00a0the elephants that have graced the procession for hundreds of years.<\/p>\n

How is\u00a0 there is a dearth of elephants for the peraheras\u00a0 today, when\u00a0 till now there have been sufficient elephants, brought from different parts of the country for the Esala Perahera in Kandy, Gangarama Perahera, the Bellanwila Perahera and so on, asked observers.<\/p>\n

In April 2017,\u00a0 the Basnayake Nilames of devales,\u00a0 urged the government, to release 38 tamed elephants presently held in state orphanages, since this would affect the annual Esala Perahera of\u00a0 principal devales. \u00a0They pointed out that \u00a0around\u00a0 40 elephants each\u00a0 are needed\u00a0 for the Kandy and Kataragama peraheras, but\u00a0 only around 30 tamed elephants were available in 2017.\u00a0Usually each Perahera is held at a different time, but\u00a0 in 2017 the dates for\u00a0 Esala Perahera, Kataragama and Devundara\u00a0 coincide. \u00a0President\u00a0 Sirisena\u00a0 had directed the Wild Life Department to release the elephants but \u00a0there had been a delay in carrying out this order. Some officials and interest groups were objecting to the release, the\u00a0 temples complained.<\/p>\n

Buddhists have taken note of these NGO activities and have reacted strongly. Bellanwila Wimalaratne said that the perahera culture is an integral part of the Sri Lanka Buddhist heritage and it could not be terminated just because animal rights are against using elephants in procession.\u00a0 Those who claim to defend the rights of elephants do nothing for the welfare of these animals. They have not spent a cent to feed them.<\/p>\n

Ven. Deranagama Kusaladamma chief incumbent of Sri Sambodhi vihara, Gregory\u2019s rod Colombo said that several NGOs were trying to discourage the perahera. The pastime of these NGOs is to protest anything that forms part of our cultural tradition, why don\u2019t they resist sale of cattle for slaughter, also horses used in racing.<\/p>\n

This is\u00a0 an\u00a0 open, \u2018not\u00a0 so subtle\u2019, \u00a0campaign to\u00a0 obstruct the Kandy Esala Perahera on the grounds of\u00a0 violation of animal rights and harassment of elephants taking part, said the Buddhists. It is a sinister, politically motivated move\u2019\u00a0 by several NGOs, masquerading as protectors of elephants.\u00a0 It is\u00a0 yet another indication of the deep animosity towards Buddhism harbored by\u00a0 non-Buddhists in Sri Lanka . But this is the first time that\u00a0 peraheras, specially, the Esala Perahera has been targeted.<\/p>\n

The annual Esala\u00a0 Perahera in Kandy,\u00a0 brings together well over a hundred elephants. During the Esala period there are similar peraheras in many provincial towns, where elephants\u00a0 are an indispensable feature. The Kandy Perahera is also a major tourist attraction.\u00a0 If this is taken away the whole tourist industry and its jobs will suffer,\u00a0 they\u00a0 declared.<\/p>\n

In July 2017\u00a0 lawyers presented to court, letters from the Diyawadana Nilame and the Basnayake Nilames of the four Devalas, asking\u00a0 for\u00a0 elephants to be deployed in the Perahera. Colombo Magistrate ordered the release of 15 elephants to be paraded in the Kandy Sri Dalada Perahera, after considering these letters. The release order was\u00a0 valid from July 27 to August 15. These elephants had been ordered to be taken into the custody of the Wildlife Department, from the owners who had not possessed valid licenses to keep them.<\/p>\n

The donation of mature male elephants to selected temples had met with loud protests from\u00a0 NGOs in 2004\u00a0 but the \u00a0anti-perahera campaign \u00a0became openly active under Yahapalana rule. Most of the action took place in 2016. Since\u00a0 Yahapalana\u00a0 came to power,\u00a0 Buddhist priests have been remanded in custody for possessing elephants. The\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 authorities are hunting for any one owning an elephant on the pretext of animal welfare. Their agenda is\u00a0 to prevent elephants participating in Buddhist ceremonies, the Buddhists declared angrily.<\/p>\n

Removing elephants from\u00a0 \u2018peraheras\u2019 \u00a0did not \u00a0turn out the way the NGOs hoped.\u00a0 In July 2016, Cabinet approved\u00a0 the maintaining of\u00a0 a pool of elephants, for\u00a0 participation in cultural activities. \u2019The perahera culture of Sri Lanka has a great history and has attracted the world\u2019s attention. It is essential to use elephants in peraheras\u201d Cabinet said. A pool of about 35 elephants consisting of about 35 tuskers, and female elephants will be\u00a0 created under the Zoological Department with elephants obtained from Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage and from Udawalawe Eth Athuru Sevana, with the objective of training for perahera purposes. Mahouts too will be trained at the facility on how \u2018to treat the animals in the correct manner.”<\/p>\n

The government of Sri Lanka has\u00a0 also requested an elephant calf from Myanmar to help the breeding progamme. Diyawadana Nilame however said tuskers from countries such as Myanmar and Thailand\u00a0 were too short. “We need tall tuskers to bear the sacred casket and currently there are only four in the island,”<\/p>\n

The Cabinet\u00a0 \u00a0also decided to withdraw its ban on the adoption of baby elephants. Cabinet granted approval for the adoption of baby elephants by individuals and religious places under specific conditions. They could be used in Perahera and religious processions. Individuals wishing to adopt an elephant will have to pay\u00a0 10 million rupees while temples will get them for free. The reason was that it has become \u00a0impossible to\u00a0 look after the 88 elephants at Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage. Lastly,\u00a0 the Wildlife department announced that permits of \u00a0elephant owners were to be renewed\u00a0 in July 2016, rectifying a long drawn issue faced by them since 2014.<\/p>\n

This essay concludes with a brief overview of the status of\u00a0 elephants in pre-modern\u00a0 Sri Lanka . In\u00a0\u00a0 pre-modern Sri Lanka elephants\u00a0 \u00a0were respected and there was a strong elephant culture. Elephants played a role in ceremonial occasions, state and royal. The elephant on which the king rode was known Mangalahasthi. This elephant was always a tusker and had a special stable called the hasthisala. Elephants were regularly\u00a0 used in temple ceremonies including Peraheras.<\/p>\n

Elephants were a valuable export as well. there had been a significant demand for Sri Lankan elephants, from other countries. The elephants from Sri Lanka were considered better than those from\u00a0 India. Elephants were \u00a0also used in battle. They were used to ram barricades. in time of war, they now and then fix a heavy iron chain to the end of their trunks, which they whirl around with such agility, as to make it impossible for an enemy to approach them at that time\u201d said the ancient records.<\/p>\n

Elephants were used\u00a0 for logging operations to clear jungles, for transport, building construction, and haulage. Photographs taken when the chapel of Trinity College, Kandy was built\u00a0 in the 1900s show elephants hauling three ton granite pillars\u00a0 for the building. Elephant fights were a popular form of Sinhala sport in early times and was called Gaja Keliya. New Year festivities in Sri Lanka feature elephants in various sports and competitive combat.<\/p>\n

In 2018 too, foreign journalists, continue to be concerned about the sufferings of the perahera elephant.\u00a0 Kelsey Ables, recently graduated from Colombia University, USA, is in Sri Lanka as a reporter. There is work to be done in Sri Lanka, she tweeted.\u201d<\/p>\n

That work included observing the perahera elephant. Kelsey went to Kandy in 2018 , to report on the Esala perahera. \u2019Spending the weekend in Kandy reporting on the elephants of the Perahera festival,\u2019 she tweeted.\u00a0 \u2018Can\u2019t exactly get a quote from the elephants, so I\u2019m keeping an eye out for elephant distress signals and chatting with the mahouts\u2019.<\/p>\n

Kelsey commented on the awful conditions perahera elephants face at the Esala Perahera in Kandy. To start with they were chained. She heard the loud, rhythmic sound of chains clashing together as the elephants joined the procession. The perahera is a nightmare for elephants, she said. They are tied up for 10 days with limited exercise and ridden by humans in a way that can cause irreparable damage to the spine. Also, the elephants \u2018stopped sleeping\u2019 for the full duration of the perahera. They usually sleep in water.<\/p>\n

Many elephant experts agree that for cultural reasons, it would be impossible to remove the elephants from festivals, she conceded. Instead, they argue, we should focus on improving conditions of elephants which participate in pageants. There should be daily health monitoring of the perahera elephant. Also the costume must be altered, so that the ears are free and \u2018thereby enable the elephants to better regulate their temperature.\u2019<\/p>\n

Elephants recognize their owners and trainers, admitted Kelsey. At the Esala Perahera, one elephant seeing his owner, had stepped out of line.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The owner, standing by the side of the temple, reached out and touched his trunk in a fond greeting.<\/p>\n

But elephants live in constant fear of mahouts,who scare them into obedience. There are videos of mahouts hitting elephants, footage of elephants storming the streets, images of elephants with wounds from being poked with the ankus. All this gives mahouts a reputation of being irresponsible and uneducated, said Kelsey. Such reports have led NGOs and animal rights groups to call for the removal of elephants from festivals. The cruelty, captivity, deprivation, restraint and regimentation suffered by these young animals cannot be justified in a Buddhist context.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka\u00a0 issued a statement condemning the mahouts\u2019 treatment of elephants, said Kelsey. The mahouts have moved away from traditional practices. The centuries-old knowledge of caring for elephants has been largely lost. \u00a0Mahouts now base their methods of control on fear and cruelty towards their wards. Train the mahouts so that they are kinder to the elephants, you don\u2019t have to frighten the animal to make it listen to you. If you are kind, it will respond to you kindly,\u201d said an elephant expert to Kelsey.<\/p>\n

In 2018 too, there are several incidents of \u00a0perahera elephants running amok during the perahera. In July 2018, an elephant ran amok during a perahera in Kahawatta. In September 2018, television news showed the tusker carrying the relic at Galewela Budugehinna raja maha vihara, running amok at the annual perahera. Television news camera\u00a0 showed, at some length, the elephant running down several streets. This was \u00a0also shown on social media.<\/p>\n

The anti-Buddhist nature of this bogus concern for the perahera elephant is very clear. But the sangha are determined to continue with the peraheras. Temples which never held major peraheras are doing so now. The Esala perahera of the Walukarama temple on Duplication Road, Colombo is relatively new and still fairly small. For the first time I saw a member of the Maha sangha go in the procession. There were three, four or five elephants, ( the perahera had started before I got there). They proceeded along Galle Road, Colombo and Duplication Road. \u00a0It is possible therefore, that one day we will see a doctored perahera elephant,\u00a0 running amok\u00a0 in \u00a0fashionable downtown Colombo. The story of the perahera elephant is not over.<\/p>\n

Here is an edited version of yet another piece on Perahera elephants. The writer candidly admits that these ideas \u2018have not gone down well with some Buddhist monks in UK\u2019.<\/p>\n

Keeping elephants in temples should be examined in relation to what this ancient cultural practice entails in the light of the Buddha\u2019s noble teachings of Ahimsa or Loving Kindness and Compassion, says the writer.\u00a0 It brings us to the inevitable conclusion that the practice is at complete odds with the essence of Buddhism.<\/p>\n

Elephants are majestic wild animals who love the freedom to roam freely. We have no right to keep them in captivity in Buddhist temples of all places. I challenge any erudite Buddhist scholar or a learned monk, to show where the Buddha had asked his disciples to use caparisoned elephants to carry his relics in processions. This is where one has to separate Buddhism from time honoured cultural practices,\u00a0 he continues.<\/p>\n

Buddhist monks and lay people must question the wisdom of continuing with an archaic ceremonial pageantry, with tom-tom and fanfare in the name of Buddhism, putting these wild animals through the paces for a “successful” annual event that draws in hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life not least foreigners.<\/p>\n

These are successful events, bringing in vast sums of money for the organizers, but do they justify the obvious torture the poor animals are subject to. The foreigners who view the perahera, and who dwell deeper into questioning its compatibility to Buddhist philosophy\u201d return home disillusioned. Their deep sense of injustice and the cruelty they witnessed compel them to set up on line petitions. The rest of us turn a blind eye, says the writer.<\/p>\n

Temples should not have a “God given licence” to perpetuate and perpetrate these ungodly and unholy rituals.\u00a0 Monks turn belligerent and rambunctious when challenged on this matter. They know they would feel deflated\u201d without temple elephants. Rich temples boast of the number of elephants they have.<\/p>\n

We owe it to the Buddha\u2019s fundamental teachings, and to those long suffering elephants, to take a decisive and firm stand. Show your disapproval by boycotting such temples. You will not go to Hell, my fellow Buddhists.\u00a0 Our monks live in the lap of luxury being driven around in style. Most churches in Sri Lanka look run down. The clergy have to make do with mopeds to get about in their day to day activities of administering Christian blessings to the poor,\u00a0 concludes the writer. (Island 3.3.18 p 9)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS 12.9.18 , rev \u00a0\u00a05.11.18, 23.11.18 The elephants in the Esala Perahera got star billing in an entertaining piece published by two animal rights NGOs in August 2016.\u00a0 The essay is full of howlers and is probably the silliest piece ever written on the subject. Are you planning to go and see the Kandy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kamalika-pieris"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66707"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66707\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}